Production of phycobiliproteins by Arthrospira platensis under different lightconditions for application in food products

• Main Authors: Roberta Ferreira Rizzo, Beatriz do Nascimento Corrêia dos Santos, Gabriela Fernandes Pepe da Silva de Castro, Thaís Souza Passos, Manuela de Abreu Nascimento, Hevelyn Dantas Guerra, Carla Guidone da Silva, Daiana da Silva Dias, Josiane Roberto Domingues, Kátia Gomes de Lima-Araújo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Ciência e Tecnologia de Alimentos 2015-06-01
• Series: Food Science and Technology
• Subjects: natural pigment; phycobiliproteins; phycocyanin; Arthrospira platensis
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0101-20612015000200247&lng=en&tlng=en

There has been an increase in investment in research on new sources of natural pigments for food application. Some cyanobacteria can change the structures responsible for light harvesting and cellular processes according to the wavelength and light intensity. This phenomenon has been described as complementary chromatic adaptation. The present study aimed to investigate the growth of Arthrospira platensis using different light qualities, irradiance, and wavelength by evaluating the production of biomass, proteins, and phycobiliproteins. The occurrence of the chromatic adaptation phenomenon in this cyanobacterium was also investigated. The microorganism used in this study, A. platensis, was grown in a Zarrouk medium under three irradiance levels, 50, 100, and 150 μmol fotons.m–2.s–1 with illumination provided by white and green fluorescent lamps. The condition of 150 µmol fotons.m–2.s–1 white light was the one that promoted the highest biomass production of A. platensis cultures (2115.24 mg.L–1). There was no difference in the production of total protein and total phycobiliproteins under the studied conditions. It is likely that the large supply of nitrogen in the Zarrouk medium was sufficient for cell growth and maintenance, and it supplied the production of accessory pigments composed of protein. Finally, there was no evidence of the complementary chromatic adaptation phenomenon in A. platensis cultivated under green light. Moreover, this condition did not increase phycocyanin production.